Furniture caster



April 4, 1950 H. SINGER 2,502,759

FURNITURE CASTER Filed Feb. 18, 1948 Inventar Attorneys Patented Apr. 4, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FURNITURE CASTER Henry Singer, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii Application February 18, 1948, Serial No. 9,230

7 Claims.

My invention relates to furniture and more particularly to furniture casters.

The main object of my invention is to provide a furniture caster constructed so that its function is practically noiseless, since the bottom of a rubber socket, by means of which the caster is attached to the leg of the piece of furniture, is permanently in pressure contact with the metal parts of the construction, whereby any rattling or the like of these metal parts is eliminated.

Another object of my invention is to provide a furniture caster of the character indicated above which is adapted to be mounted onto a leg of a piece of furniture without the use of any kind of carpenter tools, because no drilling of holes nor tightening of screws or the like is required to secure the furniture caster according to my invention in working position.

Other objects of my invention not specifically mentioned may appear in the following specification describing my invention with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating preferred .embodiments of my invention. It is, however, to be understood, that my invention is not to be limited or restricted to the exact construction and combination of parts described in the specification and shown in the drawing, but that such changes and modifications may be made which fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

in order that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in top plan of a caster embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in perspective illustrating a modified form of socket; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view partly in section and partly in elevation of a caster constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

The furniture caster forming the subject matter of my invention comprises a socket IU made from rubber or the like, which is adapted to receive and engage the lower end portion II of a leg I2 of a piece of furniture (not shown). The socket I Il is equipped on its inner surface with a plui rality of horizontal ribs I3, which are adapted to get a firm grip on the lower furniture leg portion II, thereby enhancing the function of the socket I0. The bottom I4 of the socket is made of thick elastic rubber and projects circumferen- 55 tially beyond the outside surface of the socket Il! as shown at I5. A layer IG of adhesive material such as cement or the like may be arranged between the bottom surface of the furniture leg I2 and the top surface of the socket bottom I4. The bottom surface I'I of the socket bottom I4 is not finished but left rough for a purpose to be described later. The outside wall I8 of a substantially cylindrical housing H has an inwardly curved upper portion I9. The bottom portion of the socket I0 is forced from above into said housing, sc that the edge of the curved housing wall portion I9 engages the outside of the socket just above the enlarged socket bottom portion I5. A disklike plate 20 is arranged inside the housing I-l'. underneath the socket bottom I4. The upper surface 2| of the plate 2Il is unfinished and the under side 22 of said plate is finished smoothly and evenly. An annular ball bearing 23 is located in the housing H below the disklike plate 20 so that said plate rests on the uppermost portions of the balls 24 of the ball bearing 23', when the caster is assembled and in Working position.

A roller construction R comprises a roller 25, mounted rotatably between a pair of prongs 26 extending downwardly from a round body 21 projecting upwardly through a central opening 28 provided in the bottom 29 of the housing H. A disklike member 30 formed on the upper end portion of the body 2l is located inside the housing and extends circumferentially beyond the edge of the body 2'I.A When the furniture caster, according to my invention, is assembled and in working position on the leg of a piece of furniture, the balls 24 of the ball bearing 23 rest on the disklike member 30.

The rough bottom surface Il of the socket I0 is forced into permanent pressure contact with the rough upper surface 2i of the disklike plate 20 resting on the balls 24 of the ball bearing 23. The roller construction R is free to rotate on the balls 24 and there are no loose metal parts or metal parts adapted to become loose and to cause any noise. The housing H is formed to permit the elastic bottom portion '24 to spread circumferentially under any weight added to the dead weight of the piece of furniture.

In Figure 3, a perspective view of a modified form of the socket used in the above described furniture caster is shown. The above described socket I I) is to be used on substantially round legs of furniture. The socket S, shown in Figure 3, is to be used on substantially square furniture leg ends. It has a comparatively thick elastic and substantially cylindrical bottom portion 30a projecting all around beyond the substantially square socket S. The lower portion 3| of the cylindrical bottom portion 30a is flared outwardly so that the edge of the curved top wall portion I9 of a housing H can engage the cylindrical bottom portion 3Da above the iiared out portion 3l, and that the above described roller construction R may be attached to the socket S in the same manner as to the socket Ill.

In Figure 4, Va modied form of the furniture caster, according to my invention, is shown, which is especially adapted to be used on pieces of furniture which are not moved frequently. In this modied form my caster comprises a socket 32 formed like the above described socket l0 and also made from rubber or the like. A housing H has a substantially cylindrical wall 3 3, the upper end portion 34 of which is bent inwardly and engages the socket 32 above the enlarged lower portion 35 thereof. The bottom surface 36 of the socket 32 is unfinished. A central opening 3l is provided in the bottom oi?y the housing H.

A glide caster button 3B has a partly globular lower face form, and a short neck 39 extends upwardly from the flat top surface 4E) of said button and is located centrally thereof. On the upper end of the ,neck 39, a iat round body 4i is formed, which extends through the opening 3l' into the housing H and has at its upper end portion a circumferential ila-nge 42. oi the body 4i and the flange 42 are located in the same .plane and are unfinished so that these two unfinished surfaces contact with the unfinished surface v313 and prevent any noise producing movement of the glider button relative to the housing H'.

I claim:

l. A caster comprising `a body of elastic material, means for securing the same to the lower portion of a leg yof a piece of furniture, the body having a thick `heavy circumerentially enlarged bottom portion, a housing enclosing the said enlarged bottom portion, and 4a roller construction having a portion extending into and swivelly held by saidhousing.

2. A caster comprising a body of elastic material, means for securing the same to the lower portion oi a leg of .a piece of furniture, the body having a thick `heavy circumferentially enlarged bottom portion, a housing enclosing the said enlarged bottom portion, the housing having an annular bottom, and a roller construction coupled to said housing and comprising a roller rotatably mounted between a pair of Aprongs extending downwardly rom a circular body, a disklike member on the top portion of the said body and a cylindrical lug positioned centrally on and extending upwardly from the disklike member, said disklike member being located inside the housing and above the annular bottom thereof, an annular ball bearing resting on said disklike member, the cylindrical lug extending through said annular bearing, and a disklike plate arranged to rest o'n the ball bearing and supporting the enlarged bot,- tom portion of the socket.

The upper surfaces fdisklike member 3. A caster construction as set forth in claim 2, wherein, the lower surface of the said bottom portion and the abutting upper surface of the disklike plate are unfinished and the lower surface of said plate is smoothly nished.

4. A caster of the character described, comprising a body of elastic material, means for securing the same to the lower portion of a leg of a piece of furniture, the body having a thick heavy circumferentially enlarged bottom portion, a housing enclosing the said enlarged bottom portion, the housing having a bottom provided with .a central opening, a disklike member located in the housing below said bottom portion, a round body formed centrally on the lower surface of said and extending downwardly through the central opening in the housing bottom, a comparatively short central neck on the lower surface of the said round body and a supporting button on the lower end of the neck, said ,button having a ,partly globular bottom surface.

5. A caster as set forth in claim 4, Awherein the abutting ,surfaces of the enlarged bottom portion and of the disklike member are unnished.

6. A caster construction of the character described, comprising a body of elastic 'material` means for securing the .same to the lower portion oi a leg of a piece of furniture, the body having a thick heavy circumferentially enlarged lower end portion adapted to be positioned beneath the end of a leg of a piece of furniture to which the body is attached, a housing enclosing the said enlarged bottom portion and having an inside diameter materially greater than the over- .all diameter of the enclosed portion, said housing having a bottom wall provided with a central opening, a disk disposed within the housing and resting upon said bottom wall, a circular member carried upon the underside of the disk and extending downwardly through the opening of said housing bottom wall, and a floor engaging foot portion carried upon the underside of said circular body, the said disk being rotatable in the housing between .said bottom wall and the lower part of the said thickened portion of the body of elastic material.

'7. A caster construction of the character stated in claim 6, wherein said housing has a side wall provided with an inturned top portion engaging the body of elastic material above the circumfer entially enlarged bottom portion thereof, the space between the circumferentially enlarged bottom portion and the encircling part of the housing providing for lateral expansion of the elastic material under load.

HENRY SINGER.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Shapard Oct. 19, 1926 Number 

